“We’re doing a trial with Google Wallet and it’s great for those consumers who don’t have cash but want to buy a Coke,” Coca-Cola SVP Wendy Clark told attendees at Ad:tech in New York this week, Mobile Commerce Daily reports. “We’re experimenting with this…. The combination of mobile commerce and location technology moves our business from the point of sale to the point of thirst,” she explained. “If we know where you are and that you are thirsty we can move you to the nearest outlet to quench that thirst.”

Retailers Sears and Kmart are selling toys through QR-coded ‘shopping walls’ this holiday season. Customers with smartphones can scan the quick response (QR) codes on advertising posters to find product information and make purchases of… More

Clear2Pay has released its MPA Test Solution test tool, used to confirm that new mobile payment applications comply with industry standards. The tool runs a set of scenarios to verify mobile application user interfaces and over-the-air communications with mobile gateways. Companies seeking certification for mobile applications can submit an output file from the tool as proof of compliance, simplifying the certification process.

The electronics giant’s new NFC controller chip will enable mobile phone makers to manufacture devices that support both international NFC standards and Japan’s existing Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet service. More

American Express is to invest US$100 million in digital commerce startups over the next several years. A new Silicon Valley office will fund innovative technologies in loyalty and rewards, mobile and online payments, fee-based services, security and fraud detection, and data analysis. Investments will vary in size but will focus on early-stage startups.

Samsung Electronics has joined the Open Standard for Public Transport (OSPT) Alliance, becoming the seventh company to join the association developing the Cipurse open standard for secure transit fare collection. Dojun Rhee of Samsung explained that the chipmaker expects “to play an important role in facilitating adoption of the new standard to smart card and NFC-based transportation payment eco-systems.”

Nokia has released a software update that switches on NFC tag reading functionality in its MeeGo-based N9 handset. Once the PR1.1 update is loaded on the phone, the company says, it will “instantly interact with NFC tags”.

The HTC Edge may be the most powerful smartphone to date and will include NFC, according to a report from BGR about the as-yet unannounced phone. The Android handset is reported to have a quad-core 1.5GHz… More

MasterCard has certified secure labeling specialist Schreiner ProSecure‘s NFC-Sticker for use in contactless payments. The sticker is preloaded with Mastercard software and can be applied to the back of any mobile phone and then used as a contactless credit card anywhere MasterCard PayPass is accepted. The Global Vendor Certification Program (GVCP) certification confirms the company has the required security infrastructure and complies with the necessary standards throughout the entire production process.

South African mobile solution provider Qmuzik Technologies is to resell, implement and support Vivotech‘s NFC trusted service manager (TSM) software suite throughout Africa. “Qmuzik’s broad African footprint and local expertise make it an ideal partner to bring Vivotech’s proven NFC technology to the region,” says Vivotech.

LG’s latest designer handset comes with NFC and has just passed through FCC approval in the US. The Prada K2, also referred to as the LG-P940, is the Korean phone maker’s first Android-based NFC device,… More

Digital marketing agency Isobar is holding an NFC Hackathon in San Francisco later this month, to coincide with the Appnation III conference. The Create 32 event will follow a similar format to the Create 48 hackathon held in Boston in September and will start at 8am on November 30. Developers, hackers, and start-ups are invited to create new NFC applications in just 32 hours before demonstrating them to a judging panel.